What Will Fuel The Future?

The United States and other nations say they are committed to a greener future. That’s been helped in recent years with millions of dollars of investment in cleaner fuels technology – and as VOA’s Rebecca Ward reports, the investment seems to be paying off.

The winner of a $5 million prize for the best production-capable vehicle that’s able to run the equivalent of 160 kilometers without recharging is – surprisingly – not electric. The Very Light Car runs on ethanol based E85. It has an internal combustion engine, like a regular automobile. But the VLC is anything but regular. Brad Jaeger, an engineer on the Edison 2 team, describes its features.

“Light weight, low aerodynamic drag. Those two virtues are what really led the whole project to where it is today,” says Jaeger. “Fuel source agnostic. No matter where the energy comes from, this car is efficient.”

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2 Comments

The trouble with electric cars at the moment is the fact that the electricity to charge them comes from large power stations that are not very ecological and most of their output is lost in transmission, making it a very inefficient process.It also means MORE power stations would have to be built if all vehicles went over to totally electric! Hybrid technology using alternative fuels such as ethanol made from organic waste are probably much more viable…

Battery technology has come along, long way, to the point the electric car is technologically here. Any other innovation is a stop-gap or a desperate attempt at a company which can’t grasp the future.

Some power stations and lines are 40% efficient to point of use in a home. It doesn’t sound good doe it? BUT!!….. Using Lithium batteries in a car only 5%, or less, of the energy stored in the vehicle is lost, while 75% of the energy in your petro fuel tank is wasted. It is more efficient overall to pour the fuel in a petro or natural gas motor at a power station with efficient combustion, efficient constant speed running, energy re-claim and advanced scrubbers, which may reclaim heat to heat nearby homes, which turns a genny, which sends the electricity down a line, charges a vehicle battery and runs the electric motor, rather than pour the fuel in the car directly. Also, the electric cars are 100% clean at point of burn, saving millions of lungs.